SKorea: Principal under investigation for hitting students

Controversy has arisen in Busan over a high school principal who repeatedly assaulted students but received little punishment from the school’s foundation. The head of the foundation is the principal’s father, and protected him, leading to accusations of nepotistic favoritism.

Mr. A, the principal of the private high school in Busan, assaulted 16-year-old B, a male student who was engaged in night-time free studies, at 8pm on the 26th of last month for playing music through his mobile phone. He struck the boy on his cheeks over 10 times in the classroom and hallway, and then grabbed his hair and threw him against the wall. The boy has symptoms of a concussion and tinnitis which are expected to last three weeks.

B’s parents complained to the school, but Mr. A explained to them that “I never hit him hard enough to be called serious… B told lies and had a rebellious attitude, so I punished him from an educational perspective.” B’s parents then went to the police to accuse Mr. A of assault. Police verified the security-camera footage and requested an interview with Mr. A but were refused.

Students and teachers at the school delivered to the Busan City Metropolitan Office of Education on the 10th a letter saying that the principal had repeatedly assaulted them. Mr. A, they said, assaulted not only students but also teachers. The Office plans to investigate the situation and refer a request for punishment to the appropriate school authority.